Defending Champion Williams Closes The Fall Season On Top in the Race for The Division III Sears Directors' Cup

December 20, 2001

Cleveland, Ohio - Williams College (Mass.), which has won five of the six Division III Sears Directors' Cup championships, closes the fall season at the top of the standings for the 2001-02 year. The program is presented by the nation's athletics directors.

Williams has posted 268 points, 15 points ahead of the College of New Jersey, which has 253 points. Williams scored in six of the seven fall sports, including a second-place finish in women's cross country. The Ephs also placed ninth in field hockey and women's volleyball; 16th in men's cross country; and 17th in women's and men's soccer. The Sears Directors' Cup was developed as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today. It is administered by NACDA and sponsored by Sears, Roebuck and Co.

In third place is Messiah (Penn.) with 215 points; followed by Wisconsin-Oshkosh, in fourth with 210 points; and Ithaca, fifth with 203 points.

These are the final fall standings and include the sports of women and men's cross country, field hockey, football, women's soccer and men's soccer and women's volleyball. Winning these national championships were Middlebury (Vt.) in women's cross country; Wisconsin-LaCrosse in men's cross country; Cortland State (N.Y.) in field hockey; Mount Union (Ohio) in football; Ohio Wesleyan in women's soccer; Richard Stockton (N.J.) in men's soccer; and LaVerne (Cal.) in women's volleyball.

Points are awarded based on each institution's finish in up to 18 sports -- nine for men and nine for women. Each national champion receives 100 points. Final fall standings follow. Please note that standings published midseason are unofficial standings. Official standings will be published upon the completion of the spring season. Codes are as follows: W - women, M - men, CC - cross country, FH - field hockey; FB - football; SOC - soccer; and VB - volleyball.